Riley High School parent says bullying led to Friday incident where gun was brought to school

SOUTH BEND, Ind.-- JT Davis-Green saw a concerning message on his son's phone Friday. The message threatened violence, saying a student would "cap" the Riley High School sophomore.

"The first thing I thought about was his safety when I heard this kid carries guns," he said.

 Davis-Green said he sent a tip to the school and the police responded to Riley High School Friday morning.

A gun was found in the school, and the South Bend Police Department confirmed a juvenile student was detained.

"When I found out he was detained, that brought a relief to me and my family," Davis-Green said. "It's the what ifs, but since they obtained the gun, and he's detained, that was excellent. I just can't believe how fast they worked and detained this guy."

The South Bend Community School Corporation sent a letter to parents, stating in part:

"Our school resource officer (SRO) investigated, located the weapon, and removed the weapon and the student affiliated with it from campus. Our school was never in need of a lockdown thanks to the discretion and fortitude of our SRO and the party who reported the potential threat to our community… we believe that this incident is isolated."

But Davis-Green said the threat follows months of bullying his son endured.

The most recent was earlier this month, as shown in a video that Davis-Green shared with ABC57 News. In the video, students are shown throwing punches at his 15-year-old son.

"Just because my son said something, or is being accused of saying something, does he deserve to get hit, struck, assaulted in the cafeteria?" he asked.

And while Friday's threat has been dealt with, the worried father is calling for an end to the violence.

"It's Black-on-Black crime," he said. "Respect one another. You know, our children, respect their parents, and as parents, we need to respect each other."

For Davis-Green, it starts at home.

"Give them love, you know? Tell your child you love them. Hug them. Whether you're the mom or the dad," he said. "Tell them to walk away before they pick up a gun or want to punch somebody just because somebody said something."

Threats can always be reported anonymously to the South Bend Police Department by contacting Michiana Crime Stoppers.

They can also be sent directly to the school through the district's QuickTip portal.